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Post by chris on Feb 11, 2016 13:17:13 GMT -5
Is anyone familiar with Roll20 API? Since it can be hard keeping track of chat dialogue and who is talking in Roll20 (especially when things are moving quickly), I created a forum post asking if it's possible to use API to style Emotes. What I'd like to do with the API is to use a simple style template that uses the character token and a simple color assignment for each character, which shows up when they text in the chat window. This will make it easier to identify who is speaking but also make it look cooler, taking better advantage of our Token Images to be expressive in the chat area. You can Read it Here...
The API itself should not be that difficult to write, although I simply don't know if you can override Roll20's emote styles. |
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Post by lloyd on Feb 11, 2016 13:33:40 GMT -5
I look forward to any progress made on this.
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Post by Corey the GM on Feb 11, 2016 13:34:43 GMT -5
That's a cool idea, but in the past we really haven't had any problems with remembering who posted or distinguishing from OOC to IC because all IC is done with the emote. And, its never really been too fast paced in text. I'll be sticking with the basic emotes in my game, but good luck getting your ideas working with the API. It'd be nice if you could get it to work without having to do anything extra beside typing /me. I'd really like to see an extra chat tab so that Roll and OOC could go in one tab, and IC in another.
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Post by chris on Feb 11, 2016 13:59:25 GMT -5
Hrmm... It looks like this is possible with API using the /desc command. To get it to work, a player would simply type !me (API commands have to begin with a [!] so !me replaces the /me) and it would output with whatever styling is desired. So its use is extremely simple and no real departure from what we're used to. It could also be called easily via macros. It would also work for NPC dialogue, which would be sweet.
The main reason for doing it would be that I get tired of how EVERY emote or chat string begins with your full character name. For text role play, it's more fun if you can vary your sentence structure beyond "Subject [whatever else you want to say]." That's very limiting and gets tedious. You can't say, "While picking his nose, Mercator bonks the bear!" The syntax always must be "Archimedes Mercator bonks the bear." Blek.
I'll explore it further, and if I'm able to get it working you can see if you like it. I'm still in the exploratory stage, but am also curious to know if others would enjoy the capability.
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Post by Corey the GM on Feb 11, 2016 14:22:50 GMT -5
Sounds similar to some coding that was present in IRC chat. It'd look pretty if it were to work.
I've been using the /me for almost 20 years, so I'm used to it. If you want to write your action without starting of /me hit the bear. You could always do something like /me . With a powerful swing, Archimedes hit the bear.
I would also suggest making your chat name just your character's first name.
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Post by Adam on Feb 11, 2016 15:21:51 GMT -5
You could also rearrange the sentence to work within the confines of /me. For example, "[Name] , while picking his nose, bonks the bear on the head dazing it momentarily." Gets the same message across more or less.
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Post by chris on Feb 11, 2016 15:38:32 GMT -5
Heh yes, Adam, I could rearrange the syntax to match what's required by Roll20 chat, but I'd rather just write what I want to say. I just feel that having to use one sentence structure over and over again just sucks, both to read and to write. Good writers mix things up, and bad ones do too. It's fun.
Also, sometimes you want to lead with a reference to an item or environment situation to draw attention to it, such as "With his hat sopping wet and his teats milking all over his shirt, Archie plopped down onto the couch."
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Post by Adam on Feb 11, 2016 16:38:48 GMT -5
Didn't realize D&D was such serious business...
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Post by chris on Feb 11, 2016 17:18:14 GMT -5
Heh. I enjoy exploring the code that makes it all go, and the quirks of Roll20 are fun for me. I am always looking for ways to push OOC stuff to the background, so the game feels less like a nuclear control room. Actually, it was a thread on the website (this one: Posting Order and Moving around on the Map) that got me thinking about ways to give the chat area a little more power. A barrage of chat messages that all look the same can be hard to follow, especially for the GM. Excited for the game tonight. I will shut up now. |
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